Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-07-03

river that season. As this became APP
parent we Stacked up our efforts and
took things little easier. /
The winter OF 1928 which follow
ed was one OF exceptional severity. 1t
will long be remembered by those who
were in the mines at that time, and
whose fortunes were perhaps dependent
on il. IL was not that we were exposed,
for the race was finished and there was
no necessity for working out in
the storms, but as the river
rose TO such nm unusual height
and the SHOWS accumulated in the
mountains, we realized what it all
would mean when they began to melt
and we were called upon TO dam the
river and turn it into our race. But
there IVES no help for il. 1t was one OF
those chances which oil river-miners
have TO take. The chapter of accidents
in all mining is a long and painful one,
for if il is not one thing it is another. SO
We kept up orr courage, but the boys
were not as cheerful as in 1851. Our
"dead.sure thing" did not look so
surc-or, Mt least, go near-and the
home-trail by way of Stockton APP
reared DINNER through the mist and
haze, and the further end Of it, at
least, much moro distant. though GER
tainly our end OF it could not have
moved peg.
BY July OF the following summer we
| had seen two of our dams swept away,
and it became apparent that, try our
best, we could not bottom the "deep
pool that season either. So, you see,
there were three summers gone. In
1852 we could have waded across the
river, it was so low that fall, but we
couldn't get the race down if our lives
depended on it. In 1868, when we
had everything ready, there seemed to
be q dozen rivers in that channel.
The force of the water was
so great that it swept away our
dams like bundle Of chips. So there
was nothing for it but to wait over still
another year. We were obliged to pay
many of our bills out of our now re-
duced purses, but the storekeepers
were still good-natured and our credit
fairly good. Nobody doubted but We
would bottom the deep pool by the
following summer and be amply re-
paid for all our labor. We were most
of us young and hght-hearted, and the
absolute certainty we felt of final sue
cess kept up our spirits better than
might have been expected.
During the summer of 1853 we had
plenty of leisure, and many of uslikedto
spend our Sundays up at the Professors
tunnel. 1t had become widely known
by this time as "The Old Stovepipe
Tunnel" although it was alluded to va
riOusly as 1.-THE Professors Folly"
The Doctors Craze" and so on. But
whatever might be the barrenness of
the inside of the mountain, the PROBES
sor had certainly made the ranch Pro-
fitable enough. Such watermelons
Such muskmelons | never saw before
or since ; and melons were melons in
those days. | can assure you. Nobody
grudged giving dollar, or even dol
lar and half, for good-sized melon
and there were none but eood-sizei
ones in the Doctors patch. He had
walled up a fine, cool spring in the
middle of the garden, over which was
a latticed shelter covered with grape
vines. This spring he kept filled with
melons, and they cut open as though
they had been iced inside and out. He
kept several cows and lots of fowls, and
had, therefore, an abundance of milk,
fresh butter, and eggs. Everything
outside had prospered-the fruit-trees
were all strong and healthy, the vines
luxuriant. All the miners on the
river might have been turned into the
tomato or melon-patch without making
much impression upon them. There
was o fine field Of barley on the hill
side and another of alfalfa. lie had
erected several additional buildings,
barns, etc. Within sight of the house
he had fenced in an extensive pOtrerO;
this he had sown in alfalfa, and here
were twenty or thirty mustangs, which
the boys used to hire to ride over to
| jim Town or Sonora, and several good,
strong American work animals for nse
on the ranch. The laboratory was en-
larged and drugstore and small phar
maceutical department added to it.
To party of healthy, hardy miners,
hungry for bite of something green
and glimpse Of rural surroundings,
the place appeared as an oasis in the
desert. The old fellow always made it
point to set a splendid dinner every
Saturday and Sunday of fresh meat,
vegetables, ham and eggs, chicken,
cakes, cream cheese. salad, lots of
milk, w9termelons, muskmelons, etc.
So TIE "Old Stoye-Pipe Ranch came
to he a place of resort for the miners
all along the river, and even occasion
ally from Jim Town and the vicinity.
Every Sunday all through the summer
you could see a string of horses tied
under a shade.tree, or alongside the
old gentleman's barn, or perhaps turned
into the pOtrCrO and at dinner time a
long row Of bronzed and bearded faces,
slowing away the good things which
none Of us had expected TO see in those
parts. At dollar head for meals,
which nobody grudged dollar apiece
for melons, five dollars n day for mus
tang, the Professor would have made a
good thing of it if ii had not all been
buried or spent upon that stony, bar
ron, God-foIsaken old Table Mountain.
BY this time the boys used to tease the
old gentleman about il good deal, but
be had schooled himself TO take it all in
good pant he kept it up always about
the "ancient channel" as though he
bad been there and was going back
again.
BE never los, his regard for Harry
and me, so, seeing that he liked us
so much, We used TO ride over to the
ranch on Saturday as often as posi-
bic to stay over all night and next day
On Saturdays we would always find the
Professor ut work, and | tell you he
could work. He labored a great deal
in the blacksmith shop; there the old
black coat came of, aud he wore pair
of suspenders outside over a dark-blue
shirt. But he never let go the stove
pipe, and, like sea captains hat, it
would never move of itself. He sharp
ened all his own drills. and he gave our
blacksmith many point that was new
to him-as he could give almost any
mechanic in any trade.
OF course he came to exercises great
influence over some of the simple
miners on the river and our Portu-
gee Jake" conceived such reverence
, for him that he would have followed
, him around like dog, / believe, il the
, | Professor would have let him. This